In a significant diplomatic exchange, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin shared “congratulatory letters” ahead of Putin’s scheduled visit to Beijing this week. This exchange comes shortly after former U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China for a crucial summit. Xi highlighted the strengthening ties between China and Russia, marking three decades of a strategic partnership that has seen deepened bilateral cooperation, according to Chinese state media.
Putin is set to arrive in China on Tuesday evening, with a meeting with Xi planned for Wednesday morning. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov noted that the discussions between the two leaders would cover all aspects of their bilateral relationship, including the ambitious Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline project. The back-to-back hosting of leaders from both Russia and the U.S. by China has drawn widespread attention, as analysts point out that such occurrences are rare in the post-Cold War era.
China’s growing alliance with Russia has raised concerns in Western nations, particularly following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Western diplomats and analysts assert that China’s economic and diplomatic backing has sustained the conflict. Notably, Xi and Putin have met over 40 times, exceeding Xi’s meetings with Western leaders. Since the onset of the Ukraine war, bilateral trade between China and Russia has reached unprecedented levels, with China purchasing over a quarter of Russia’s exports, including substantial amounts of crude oil, generating significant revenues for Moscow.
Despite the ongoing Ukraine conflict and the evolving Sino-Russian relationship, these topics were not prominently featured during Trump’s recent talks with Xi. Instead, the U.S.-China discussions concentrated on trade, Taiwan, and the Middle East crisis, with Trump highlighting an agreement with China on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Xi emphasized the sensitive nature of the Taiwan issue, cautioning Trump about potential conflicts. Trump departed from Beijing without a decision on a major arms deal with Taiwan, a move that could favor Beijing’s interests in the region.
Joseph Webster, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, suggested that Taiwan might be an underlying theme in the Xi-Putin meeting. Beijing could be looking to secure additional fossil fuel agreements with Moscow to bolster its energy security amid potential future conflicts. Russia has been encouraging China to advance the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which would enhance the energy connectivity between the two nations, significantly strengthening Beijing’s oil security in a potential Taiwan contingency.
